The department will be closed from Monday 23 December 2024 and will reopen on Thursday 2 January 2025. We will respond to queries in the new year. Best wishes for a safe and happy festive season.
There are many other resources that may be able to help with your family history research. Below are some of the key resources available.
The State Library of Western Australia holds key resources such as books, newspapers, photographs, maps, and oral history recordings which can offer information on people, places and communities throughout Western Australia. It has a whole section devoted to family history with free access (for members) to Ancestry.com, Aboriginal reference books, newspaper archives and photographic collections.
View the curated list of Aboriginal family history resources held at the library.
This initiative provides an online portal to Aboriginal photographic collections held at the State Library of Western Australia. It features more than 12,000 photos and materials that can help people find information about their family.
View the Storylines collections held at the State Library of Western Australia
The State Records Office holds historical sets of records from colonial and state government agencies throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries. They also hold the index to the Chief Protector of Aborigines Files.
Visit the State Records Office website.
This information has been collected by countless volunteers who, over many years, have collected and recorded information from cemetery records and tombstones.
Visit Lorraine's Burials website.
MCB holds records of interments, entombments, cremations and memorials dating back to 1899. It includes Karrakatta, Fremantle, Pinnaroo, Midland, Guildford, and Rockingham cemeteries.
Visit the MCB website.
The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages hold records of births, deaths and marriages (BDM) in Western Australia from 1841. You can search historical indexes online for free. The cost of BDM records varies from state to state but is normally $30 to $50 per certificate.
Visit the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages website.
This organisation is committed to promoting and encouraging the study of family history. With an extensive library, this organisation is a great resource for those in the pursuit of family history knowledge.
Visit the Western Australian Genealogical Society website.
AIATSIS holds a large collection of material about and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders from all corners of Australia. It has an online search engine called the Aboriginal Biographical Index and MURA which contains records and collections from every state in Australia.
Visit the AIATSIS website.
There is an extensive number of records online for those who are wishing to find information on family members who served in the armed forces.
Visit the Australian War Memorial website.
This website brings together historical resources about Australian orphanages, children’s homes and other institutions.
Find & Connect website.
This site can be used to find records created by the Australian Government, including war service records, immigration records, passenger lists, and some Census records. The Bringing Them Home Index can be found here.
Search the National Archives of Australia.
The National Library collects and makes available material of national significance about Australia and Australians. It holds books, manuscripts, newspapers, photographs and oral histories that could be useful in researching your family – much of this is available online through Trove. The library has a family history collection and staff you can help you to locate material.
Search the collection of the National Library of Australia.
This site provides digitised newspaper articles available online from around Australia dating from the 1800s to 1950.
Search the Trove website.